How to Add a Google Store Widget to Your E-commerce Website
You may have seen your favorite online retailer or a competitor showcase a fancy Google Store Wiget on their website containing details about their store officially confirmed by Google. These Google store widgets can instill confidence amongst visitors and improve conversion rates.
Perhaps best of all, Google Store Widgets are free to use.
There are three different types of Google Store Widgets for which your store may be eligible. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of store widgets available and how to install them on your website.
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Types of Google Store Widgets
There are three different types of store widgets offered by Google that you may install on your e-commerce website. Each widget has varying eligibility criteria and benefits outlined below.
Top Quality Store Widget (Includes an SEO Visibility Boost)
Google’s Top Quality Store widget is the most sought-after online store designation from Google. Top Quality Stores are awarded a unique badge.
More importantly, Google states that Top Quality Stores receive a visibility boost for their products within Google Shopping’s search engine. As a result, this can have a direct impact on your website’s bottom line.
This is a direct quote from Google’s interface regarding the ranking boost within Google Shopping
We’ve also witnessed this SEO boost firsthand with our clients who earn the prestigious Top Quality Store designation. However, the Top Quality Store designation requires meeting and sustaining a strict set of criteria.
Based on our experience and documentation from Google, we have created a separate guide covering the strict requirements and how you can go about earning the coveted Top Quality Store designation.
Store Rating Widget
The Google Store Rating widget appears if you have a high Google store rating but are not yet qualified as a Top Quality Store on Google. That said, you must be participating in Google’s store ratings feature which can be enabled withing Google Merchant Center.
Image Provided Courtesy of Google Merchant Center Support
This allows you to either collect store ratings directly through Google, or via a third-party review aggregation system that’s approved and integrated with Google’s store reviews feature.
Note that Google typically requires that you collect a minimum number of reviews before all features are enabled.
Store Quality by Google Widget
The Store Quality by Google widget can be shown on your website if you do not yet have store ratings and are also not a Top Quality Store on Google. This particular widget will only show key information about your service and policies like shipping, returns, pricing competitiveness, and payment options.
Image Provided Courtesy of Google Merchant Center Support
Think of this widget as the entry-level minimum requirement option. You can certainly start here and work your way up to the Top Quality Store Widget overtime.
How to Add Google Store Widgets to Your Website
Google has supplied decent documentation for adding and customizing the store widget. Additionally, Google updates its widget embed code periodically. As such, we’ve found it best to reference their documentation directly for the install steps.
View Google’s official script and documentation for adding the store widget to your website.
FAQs About Google Store Widgets
We’ve noticed a few critical aspects that are not covered in their documentation and have compiled FAQs below for your convenience.
I’ve Completed the Install, But My Badge Is Not Showing
If you’ve followed Google’s steps 100% accurately, your badge still may not show right away. There is a wait period where Google evaluates an impression-weighted average over a fixed 30-day lookback period. Even though Google evaluates your store quality constantly, they only update their systems once per month to upgrade or downgrade your current status and eligibility.
Thus, if you’re confident you installed everything correctly, leave it installed and enabled. Wait 30 days and then revisit your site. If the Google store badge still not showing, reach out to Google Support within Google Merchant Center.
Keep in mind that updating policies like shipping or return policies can re-trigger this 30-day lookback window. Thus, you should try to keep your policy update frequency to a minimum.
A Different Badge Is Showing than What I Thought I Installed
Note that the badge script is the same for all three badges. Google dynamically detects your website and what badge(s) for which your site is eligible. It will then show the highest badge for which your website is qualified.
The following is the hierarchy of badges (where 1 is the most difficult and 3 is the easiest to achieve):
- Top Quality Store
- Store Rating
- Store Quality by Google
If you bounce in and out of eligibility your badge displayed may automatically change.
How Do I Earn the Top Quality Store Badge
This is by far the hardest of all three designations and has numerous criteria to both meet and sustain. Please see our guide on how to get Google’s Top Quality Store Badge.
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